The Shiv Sena and the Congress on Saturday were caught sleeping and checkmated by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in an early morning coup when BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as chief minister and NCP boss Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar as his deputy.
Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut, coming down heavily on BJP and Ajit Pawar, said, "Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar have got nothing to do with this.” Sharad Pawar had no information, according to Raut. “Ajit Pawar's place is inside Arthur Road Jail and now he will be deputy CM. What happens in dead of night is evil."
Raut also claimed that Ajit's body language during last night's meeting was also such that it aroused suspicion. "He could not meet our eye," Raut said.
IANS reported that Congress sources who were in Mumbai to finalise the negotiations that were expected to bring Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray to the Chief Minister's post, were caught completely off-guard by the Bharatiya Janata Party's move when NCP inched closer to the BJP -- it appeared no one had a clue.
The Congress said that this is "a clear case of backstabbing by the NCP". As the final meeting was scheduled at 12.30 pm on Saturday. Earlier IANS reported that the delay in government formation was due to Pawar tactics as he was unwilling to concede full five-year term to Shiv Sena and make Aditya Thackarey the Chief Minister. Congress was cautious about his moves but when things moved faster NCP ditched the Shiv Sena and Congress.
First Published: Nov 23, 2019 10:23 AM IST
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